Spring and method of making same



A g 1 .G; H. PARKER 225154516.

' l 3951x0131: 'ME'Taon OF MAKING was Filed March 1, 19:55

4. INVENTOR N 'GZezzz; frjfen Y Z 1 I ATTORNEYS.

Patented Aug. 5, 19 41 'IUNITED STATES PATENTYOFFICE SPRING AND METHOD or MAKING SAME Glenn H. Parker, Royal OalnMlcia, assignor to Chrysler Corporation, Highland Park, Micln, a

corporation of Delaware I Application March 1, 1939, Serial No. 259,202

2 Claims.

other uses wherever it is desired to connect two members for torsional control of their relative movement. I t

It is an object'of my invention to provide an improved torsional spring and method of making same, whereby the cost of the assembly is minimized and the life of the spring increased.

Another object is to provide a torsional spring of improved strength and wherein improved resistance to failure is ailorded.

While the torsion spring assembly may com-= prise a rubber body frlctionally or mechanically connected to the relatively movable members of the oscillatory joint, I preferably provide for bonding the rubber or other plastic material to the joint members during theusual vulcanizing and curing of the rubber so that a unit is formed metallic members bonded tures between which the rubber body is located,

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view somewhat diagrammatically showing my invention applied to a vehicle wheel'suspension.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevational view showing my torsion spring as viewed in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevational view of the torsion spring taken as indicated by line 33 of Fig. 2.

log the same.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of a portion of the torsion spring illustrating; the methodof mold- Fig. 5 is a similar view illustrating the spring after coolingfrom the molding process.

Referring to the drawings I have illustrated my invention in the form of a torsion spring unit or assembly A for yieldingly mounting the vehicle frame structure B on the front ground wheel 0.. The wheel mounting may be of any suitable type such, for example, as illustrated in the copending application of Woolson et al. Ser.

. No. 238,d21, filed November, 2, 1938. With such I ports the frame on the wheel C by reason of the one of the structures being discontinuous for the purpose of placing the rubber under radial compressive stress to increase its life and improve its torsional action. This discontinuous structure, as a feature of my invention, serves as a for the rubber bodv, the rubber being radially protruded at the gap between the sleeve seg ments and bonded thereto to reduce the stress I in the rubber at this critical region.

Further objects and advantages of my inven' tion will be apparent from the following description of one illustrative embodiment thereof,

, reference being had to the accompanying drawins in which:

wheel-carrying armlt.

The spring A has inner and outer structures or parts, one of which is securely attached to arm it and the other of which is secured to frame B. By preference, an inner structure comprising a metallic cylindrical sleeve or hol low shaft this continuous and is bonded to the annular rubber body it. This body is externally embraced by an enclosing structure comprising a discontinuous cylindrical sleeve formed of segments l t, it preferably two in number such that each is a berm-cylinder likewise bonded to the body it.

Each of the segments it, it has a pair of diametrically opposite outwardly extending cl ing lugs .01 abutment ilangesil, it respectively, serving as means to draw the segments together to compress the rubber body it and also to attach the spring unit to the frame h. For this purpose each pair of companion flanges it, it has a pair of aligned openings it, it for receiving a fastener assembly it.

The spring is vulcanized as shown in Fig. i, the segments til, it being eccentrlcally spaced by removable filler blocks it between each pair of flanges Ill, it such that afterthe unit is removed from the mold (not shown) and the blocks it removed, the shrinkage of the rubber will bring the segments toward each other to the Fig. 5 condition torelieve the rubber of tension stress while still preserving a gap 23 between the mately cylindrical surface represented at 2% interiorly of segments it, it. Go the other hand, the blocks have theirinner ends disposed out- 7 wardiy from this suriace 23 so that when the rubber is molded, a radial rubber rib ESwili be iormed bonded to and around the rounded shoulders 25 at the juncture between flanges i1, i8 and the main body portions of the segments it, it. The ribs 25 do not project so far as to prevent the flanges from being clamped together as in Fig. 2 but the arrangement is such that tendency oi! the rubber to fail along the flanged edges of the segments, when subjected to torsion, is prevented. Thus the bond is increased at the gap and the rubber stress is reduced at this critical region. When the flanges i7, it are drawn together, a portion of the rub her in ribs 25 flows-mostly endwise sumciently to permit the clamping action. I

The segments it, is form a clamp to com- I press the body It and also form the outer supporting shell for the body. iidesired. the unit may be connected to one oi the oscillating joint members by connection and support solely at the flanges i'i, is. In practice, for a wheel sus pension, the frame B is preferably provided with a fabricated hollow welded cross brace as having a bottom helm-cylindrical member 2i thereof which serves to receive the segment is and trans fer the vertical loads between the wheel and frame. The member 2? has flanges 2t abutting 'flahges 5?, each of the pairs oi fasteners 2i serving to clamp together one set of the flanges 28, ii and. iii. For additional rigidity one or.

both segments may be ribbed. In the drawin iii I have illustrated segment l8v as formed with the reverse-bent rib 29 extending around the segment body and continuing to the flanges l8 between the associated pairs of fasteners 2|.

I do not limit my invention, in the broader aspects thereof, to any particular combination and arrangement of parts such as shown and described for illustrative purposes since various modifications will be apparent from the teachings of my invention and scope thereof as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim is;

i. In a connection of the character described, an inner metallic member, an annular torsionally active plastic body secured to said inner member, a pair of metallic segments each having a hemicylindrical body portion bonded to said plastic body in embracing relation therewith, each of said segment body portions having a pair of substantially diametrically disposed terminal flanges extending radially outwardly therefrom and Joined thereto by rounded shoulder portions, the adjacent flanges at opposite sides of said plastic body being urged apart by said plastic body, and means for holding the adjacent flanges relatively displaced toward each other to maintain said plastic body'under radial compressive stress, said plastic body having a pair of diametrically disposed outwardly extending ribs respectively bonded to the rounded shoulder portions of each adjacent pair of flanges.

In a connection of the character described, an inner shaft, a torsionaliy active annular plastic body bonded to the shaft iii-surrounding re lation thereto, sleeve-forming means embracing the annular body and having a pair of contiguous terminal flanges extending outwardly from said sieevedorming means and joined thereto by rounded shoulder portions, said body being bonded to said sleeve-forming means and having an outwardly projecting rib disposed between and bonded to said rounded shoulder portions.

GLENN H. PARKER. 

